The present invention is directed to a weathertight electrical connector using the positive wire-locking features of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,228,875, 5,695,369 and 5,868,589 which features are adapted in a unique manner to achieve a weathertight connector. It is an improvement in the connector shown in U.S. Ser. No. 10/266,947.
The electrical connecting of two discrete wires using the positive wire locking features of the above-referenced U.S. patents has been highly successful commercially and sold under the trademark POSI-LOCK by the assignee hereof. In the electrical connectors of the type disclosed in the above-identified patents as well as others, a connection chamber is formed in an non-conductive body and a conductive metal insert is provided which extends between the two connection chambers. The ends of the conductive element in the connection chambers is shaped as a splaying member for splaying a wire on its surface. The interior surface of the connection chamber is threaded for receiving a threaded male member which has a throughbore, and a portion of the throughbore is shaped to form a complementary surface to the bullet-shaped splaying surface. When a wire is passed through the throughbore and engages the splaying surface, it is splayed along the splaying surface and then a male member having a threaded exterior engaged with threaded connection chamber walls to clamp the wire between the shaped splaying surface and the complementary clamping surface formed on the throughbore male member. It is desirable in a number of situations to provide a weathertight seal for the connection chambers.
The object of the present invention is to provide improved techniques and structures for forming a weathertight connector in which the connection chambers are sealed from the ingress of moisture and the like.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a movable discrete clamp member is provided with a throughbore having a complementary surface on it for clamping the wire to the surface of the conductive insert. For each connection chamber, there is a clamp member, and each clamp member has a throughbore, one end of which has the aforesaid clamping surface, the opposite end of which has a recess for receiving a seal in the form of a compression sleeve. The compression sleeve is carried in the end of the non-conductive clamp member, which is adapted to be retained inside a force member. The compression sleeve has an internal wire passage size designed to freely pass the insulation of a wire inserted therein. In a preferred embodiment, the external surface of the connection chamber is threaded, and the force member which, in the preferred embodiment, is threadably engaged with the external threads on the body member engages and advances the compression sleeve and clamping member to force the complementary end of the clamping member against the wire splayed on the splaying member to thereby clamp the wire between the splaying surface and the complementary surface in the throughbore. At the same time, the compression sleeve is being compressed in an axial direction thereby constricting the wire passage in the compression sleeve radially inwardly and thereby seal against the insulation along the length of the internal wire passage. At the same time, the end of the compression sleeve seals the outer end thereof against the inside of the force member. A second seal-ring in the form of a flanged annular sleeve is adapted to be seated in an annular groove and abut an annular shoulder abutting a seal shoulder approximate the mid-point between the two connection chambers. Thus, when the two force members are threadably engaged with the external threads on the body member and caused to move inwardly to clamp the wire between the two clamping surfaces on the conductive member, the ends of the force members engage their respective seal-rings to thereby provide weathertight seals for the connection chambers from external ambient environment.
Thus, the invention features a weathertight connector comprising a non-conductive body member having one or more connection chambers formed therein and a conductive element having a pair of ends, each end being positioned coaxially in one of the connection chambers, respectively, and being shaped to form a crimp-free wire connection, the outer surfaces of the non-conductive body member is threaded at each end. A non-conductive clamp member is adapted to be fitted inside the connection chambers, there being one non-conductive clamp member for each chamber. Each non-conductive clamp member has an internal surface adapted to coact with the operative member for clamping the wire to the shaped end of the conductive element in the connection chamber. Compression seals are adapted to be seated in each clamping member, respectively, and have an internal wire passage sized to pass on the insulation of a wire inserted therethrough. A pair of sealing ring members are seated against an annular flange formed in the external surface of the body member and proximate mid-way between the connection chambers. Force members are threadably engaged with the external threads on the body member and engage the compression sleeve/clamp member to force the clamping member against the wires and thereby clamp the wire to the conductive element end therein. At the same time, the compression sleeve is axially compressed constricting the wire passage to sealingly grip the wire insulator axially along the length thereof. It will be appreciated that the external threads on the body member may be internal and the internal threads on the force members may be external and the seal rings carried on the respective force member.